Fiona Beamish

Project Title: Increasing white clover proportion and persistence to improve overall environmental benefit and production of ryegrass/clover swards under grazing

Overview: The inclusion of white clover (WC) in perennial ryegrass (PRG) swards has been shown to enhance both animal and herbage production while reducing the use of chemical nitrogen (N). However, its adoption on farms remains low due to establishment challenges, and the high cost associated with such, and a lack of information on post-sowing management strategies to promote persistence.

Fiona is investigating the effects of fertiliser strategy (N,P,K) and slurry application on newly sown swards to determine the optimal application strategy and rate for maximising herbage production and clover content. Fiona is also working on a plot study to assess how autumn closing dates and spring defoliation timings influence herbage yield, clover content and WC agronomy. This research will help to identify the most appropriate closing and opening sequence of PRG-WC swards to ensure maximum herbage production, quality and regrowth potential without compromising sward dynamics. Fiona's final study is glasshouse experiment aimed at indentifying the timelline of N fixation in newly sown WC plants, while also examining taproot and stolon development over and 18-month period.

Programme Area: Grassland Science

Supervisors: Dr Michael Egan, Dr William Burchill and Prof Frank Buckley

Location: Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co.Cork

Funding Source: Teagasc